Hero
by Elfsong
Summary: Duo remembers the deaths of his 'families'. Heero comforts him. Shonenai.


Inspired by _Hero_ by Enrique Iglesias

A/N: This came to me while I was on my way to the mall. This song came on and my muse attacked. Thoughts , Song . Oh, and before I forget, Heero is WAY OOC here. I didn't actually mean for it to happen that way, but it did. Oh well. Enjoy.

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Duo sat on the bed, staring at the wall. It was May 13, AC 195. Exactly 10 years since Solo died. He had been living with Solo before he could even remember. His first memories were of Solo and the other kids teaching him stuff. Stuff like how to steal and not get caught, and how to run faster than guys twice as big as you and well-fed. Solo was like an older brother or father figure to him.

His other father figure was Father Maxwell. Even his title had 'father' in it. Duo snorted. Yeah, and his mother figures were the girls in the gang and Sister Helen. The gang girls mothered everyone, even Solo. They said it made them feel better, since they would probably never get old enough to have kids of their own. And they didn't. The girls were the first ones to die in the plague. Then a lot of the older boys, and finally Solo. After the plague Duo had started over. He was the leader and he brought in more kids. For the first time he wasn't the youngest in the gang. And then they were taken in.

The Maxwell Church was his home. And then it was destroyed too. He called himself the God of Death. Shinigami. What an appropriate name for someone who shouldn't be alive anyway. Everyone he had ever cared about was gone. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He had the other Gundam Pilots. They were still alive. But for how much longer? He thought, cynically. Once you meet Shinigami, you're destined to die before your time.

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Duo would have cried, but his tears had dried with Sister Helen's blood. In the eight years since the Maxwell Church Tragedy he had not cried once. Not even when he was caught and beaten. It wasn't because boys don't cry, but because he didn't know how.

Duo had seen the old movie, "The Secret Garden". That girl said she couldn't cry, but the truth was she had just temporarily forgotten how. Duo might have forgotten, but if so, the memory wasn't coming back. All he could do was sit in a corner of his room, with his head on his knees, and shake.

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That's how Heero found him. He had come inside Duo's room to tell him that lunch was ready, but what he found surprised him. Duo didn't look up, even at the mention of food. That was what worried Heero the most. Duo was always hungry, and if he didn't want food all of a sudden, he must be sick.

"Duo? Duo, are you sick?"

Duo looked up from his knees and offered a weak smile to his friend. Heero saw the smile and, instead of being relieved, became even more worried.

"What's wrong, Duo?"

"It's nothing, Heero. Don't worry about it," Duo said, striving for his usual cheerful tones. It didn't work. It never worked on May thirteenth. Because, not only was it the day Solo died, but it was the day the Maxwell Church was destroyed. That was too many deaths for one day. Over the years G and the others had learned to leave him alone on this day, but apparently Heero had not gotten the memo.

Duo snorted again at his mind's attempt to be funny. Of course Heero had not gotten the memo, there had not been a memo. Duo had been hoping that he was finally able to deal with it, but he wasn't.

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Heero debated with himself about whether or not he should go get Quatre or someone better equipped to deal with Duo's strange emotional state. Everyone knew that, even though he said to follow your emotions, he had no clue how to deal with them. Then Duo curled himself into a tighter ball and Heero walked over to him. After a moment's hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the braided pilot's shoulders in an attempt to soothe him. Duo clung to him, still shaking.

Heerobegan blushing as Duo moved closer to him. He knew better than to take advantage of the smaller pilot when he was upset, but after living with him and working with him, Heero had formed a massive crush on the violet eyed boy. He had never seen Duo so vulnerable before. He seemed to hide behind his laughs and smiles just as Heero hid behind the perfect soldier's mask 1.

"Please, Duo. What's wrong? Let me help."

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"I don't think you can, Heero. This is something I've got to deal with myself."

"Then let me try? Please?"

Duo couldn't resist the comfort he was being given. It had been so long since someone had offered him comfort and not pity. He found himself telling Heero about everything. About Solo and the gang, the Maxwell Church and Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, and even about his life after the destruction of the church. He told Heero everything, and Heero just held him, rubbing small, soothing circles on his back.

"Hey Heero?" Duo mumbled after calming down.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't know you knew how to comfort someone. I wouldn't think it was part of your training."

"Oh, didn't you know? Quatre's been offering lessons in emotions. Trowa and I are his star students."

Duo started laughing at Heero's 'joke'. "Lessons in emotions? Sounds like he's also teaching you to be social!"

"Hey, I was serious! Quatre thought we were unfit socially, so he's been trying to get me, Wufei, and Trowa to act more, as you would put it, human." 2 Besides, he thought, it got you to smile again. A real smile, too.

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"Hey, Heero?"

"What Duo?"

"Who do you think will die next?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Shinigami's curse has already affected a lot of people, will one of you guys be next?"

"Duo, that was just circumstance working against you. You are not Shinigami and you're not cursed. Besides, we're in a war. If we die it will not be your fault. We decided to get involved in the war. Solo died from a plague, you said it yourself. The others died in the plague as well. You said you lived with them a long time before their deaths, so it couldn't be you. And as for the church, It still would have been destroyed if they had never taken you in. And the only change there would be if you hadn't left would be that you would have died, too. None of those deaths were your fault, okay?"

"Okay." Heero would have been surprised to know that Duo was speechless. After hearing such a long speech from Heero, Duo didn't know how to form a sentence of his own.

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"Heero! Duo! Are you going to come down and eat or not?"

"I really don't want to go down there and interact just yet."

"Okay. I'll go down and get our food." Heero then got up and started walking towards the door.

"You don't have to keep me company if you don't want to."

"I know. I'd like to keep you company, though."

When Heero came back, he told Duo his story while they ate. He even shed a few tears for the little girl and her dog. Not his first tears for her, and most likely not his last, but his first in front of someone. Duo helped him feel better about that, saying it wasn't Heero's fault. He had had no idea the buildings would be destroyed.

Then Heero sucked up all his courage to tell Duo his feelings. This is so STUPID, Yuy. You can face certain death, blow yourself up, jump out of a building, get shot multiple time, and get stalked by a freakish, pink- obsessed girl, but the thought of telling another boy, a SMALLER boy who can't really hurt you physically anyway, about how you feel is what scares you. That's pathetic.

"Um . . . Duo?"

"Yeah Heero?"

"I . . . uh . . . I-I'm . . . I think that I l-love you," Heero stammered and looked down, face bright red.

Duo just sat on his bed, shocked. Had he heard Heero correctly? And . . . was he BLUSHING? How cute! Hee-chan looks good when he blushes. Woah, where did that thought come from? Oh, wait, nevermind. Duo had had a crush on the Japanese pilot since he had gotten him out of the hospital. Strangely enough, seeing Heero not open the parachute was what got him.

"Forget I said anything." The abrupt statement from the boy next to him cut off duo's thoughts. Heero stood and prepared to leave the room.

"Heero, wait! I-I like, er, love you, too."

"Just because I said I liked you doesn't mean you have to say it back."

"That's not why I said it! You just caught me by surprise when you said it. That's all. I've actually had a crush on you since you jumped out of that hospital without opening your parachute."

"Honest?"

"I already told you I don't lie."

"I do love you."

"Same here."

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They spent that night, the first of many, together. Both were happy to have finally found someone to care about, and who loved them back. And Duo had finally found a good memory for May thirteenth.

"Hey Heero?"

"Mm . . . ?" Heero mumbled, half asleep.

"You're my hero."

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1 - I just can't see Heero not having ANY emotions, so I just gave him a mask. And I don't think he's so clueless that he wouldn't notice it's just a mask. Especially if he has a crush on Duo.

2 - Sorry, I had to do it. Can't you just see it though? After the missions Quatre, Wufei, Heero, and Trowa are in this classroom type thing, and Quatre's at the front of the room while the others are in these tiny little desk. And Quatre's the best candidate for the job. If Duo did it, there would be FOUR Duo-ish pranksters in the world, and fun as that might be, I cannot imagine Wufei cackling insanely when someone trips over a banana peel or something.


End file.
